Posts Tagged ‘DIMMU BORGIR’

Demonstealer Records is all set to release the kings of black metal Dimmu Borgir’s latest album Abrahadabra in India on October 15th 2010. The album will be released in jewel case format and will come with a special poster and sticker. DSR will also be releasing an officialDimmu Borgir t-shirt in India as well.

Abrahadabra is the band’s ninth studio album and features an ensemble orchestra (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra), as well as the Schola Cantorum choir.

“Abrahadabra“, loosely translated as “I will create as I speak”, was created by author Aleister Crowley in his work, Liber AL vel Legis, or The Book of the Law. This album is the second in the band’s repertoire to deviate from the traditional three-word title. The album cover artwork was designed by Joachim Luetke who previously worked on the bands two albums Death Cult Armageddon and In Sorte Diaboli.

“Gateways,” the first single from the new album ABRAHADABRA by Norwegian symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR, is now available for purchase in North America on iTunes at this location.

Germany’s Metal Hammer Magazine recently conducted a interview with DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath. The video, where Shagrath discusses the new album and upcoming European tour, can be viewed here.

ABRAHADABRA will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th. Fellow countrymen Enslaved and Sahg will be the opening acts on DIMMU BORGIR’s headlining “Darkness Reborn World Tour” in Europe, which launches on September 21st in London.

Norwegian symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR proudly announce fellow countrymen Enslaved and Sahg as the opening acts on their headlining “Darkness Reborn World Tour” in support of their new studio album, Abrahadabra.

DIMMU BORGIR guitarist/songwriter Silenoz states:

“Parts of the European trek on our Darkness Reborn World Tour will come in support from our friends in Enslaved and Sahg! We’re excited to share the stage with these great bands and finally again be able to perform new material for our fans, old and new alike!”

The members of Enslaved check in about the upcoming trek:

“We are glad to confirm that we have been invited to do direct support on DIMMU BORGIR’s European tour in September and October. We are delighted to announce these dates as the opening of Enslaved’s touring for our new album Axioma Ethica Odini. It will be great to be touring with another Norwegian band. High spirits should be a guaranteed; we’re looking forward to this one!”

Sahg adds:

“This tour will prove that nothing exceeds Norwegian metal! Sahg is proud to be in this line-up of Norway’s deadliest, with DIMMU BORGIR and Enslaved. We can’t wait to perform the songs from our brand new album, Sahg III, to the European audience for the very first time.”

Confirmed dates are as follows:

19 September – HMH, Amsterdam, NE (w/ KORN)

21 September – Forum, London, U.K. (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

22 September – Bataclan, Paris, FR (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

23 September – Eishalle Seutweg, Winterthur, CH (w/ Korn)

24 September – Zenith, Munich, DE (w/ KORN)

26 September – Gasometer, Vienna, AT (w/ KORN)

27 September – Alcatraz, Milan, IT (DB Headlining Show)

28 September – Boogaloo Club, Zagreb, CRO (DB Headlining Show)

30 September – Den Atelier, Luxembourg, LU (DB Headlining Show)

01 October – Ancienne Belgique, BE (w/ KORN)

02 October – Rosengarten, Mannheim, DE (w/ KORN)

03 October – Palladium, Cologne, DE (w/ KORN)

05 October – Haus-Auensee, Leipzig, DE (w/ KORN)

06 October – C-Halle, Berlin, DE (w/ KORN)

07 October – Progresja, Warsaw, PL (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

08 October – Studio, Krakow, PL (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

11 October – Vega, Copenhagen, DK (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

12 October – Arenan, Stockholm, SE (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)
14 October – Pakkahoune, Tampere, FI (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

15 October – House Of Culture, Helsinki, FI (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

17 October – Tragarn, Gothenburg, SE (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

18 October – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, NO (DB Headlining Show with Enslaved and Sahg)

Abrahadabra will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th. View the artwork created by German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) on the band’s MySpace page.

Norwegian symphonic black metal band DIMMU BORGIR proudly announce additional dates to the first European leg of their co-headlining “Darkness Reborn World Tour” in support of their new studio album, Abrahadabra.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

19 September – HMH, Amsterdam, NE (w/ KORN)

20 September – Bataclan, Paris, FR (DB Headlining Show)

21 September – Forum, London, U.K. (DB Headlining Show)

23 September – Eishalle Seutweg, Winterthur, CH (w/ Korn)

24 September – Zenith, Munich, DE (w/ KORN)

26 September – Gasometer, Vienna, AT (w/ KORN)

27 September – Alcatraz, Milan, IT (DB Headlining Show)

28 September – TBA

30 September – Den Atelier, Luxembourg, LU (DB Headlining Show)

01 October – Ancienne Belgique, BE (w/ KORN)

02 October – Rosengarten, Mannheim, DE (w/ KORN)

03 October – Palladium, Cologne, DE (w/ KORN)

05 October – Haus-Auensee, Leipzig, DE (w/ KORN)

06 October – C-Halle, Berlin, DE (w/ KORN)

07 October – Progresja, Warsaw, PL (DB Headlining Show)

08 October – Studio, Krakow, PL (DB Headlining Show)

09 October – KD Vltavaska, Prague, CZ (DB Headlining Show)

11 October – Vega, Copenhagen, DK (DB Headlining Show)

12 October – Arenan, Stockholm, SE (DB Headlining Show)

14 October – Pakkahoune, Tampere, FI (DB Headlining Show)

15 October – House Of Culture, Helsinki, FI (DB Headlining Show)

17 October – Tragarn, Gothenburg, SE (DB Headlining Show)

18 October – Sentrum Scene, Oslo, NO (DB Headlining Show)

Abrahadabra will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th. View the artwork created by German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) on the band’s MySpace page.

The artwork created for the new DIMMU BORGIR album Abrahadabra by German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) has been uploaded to the band’s MySpace page.

The word “abrahadabra” (which roughly translates into “I will create as I speak”) first publicly appeared in Chapter III of Liber AL vel Legis (commonly referred to as The Book of the Law) written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.

DIMMU BORGIR singer/songwriter Shagrath shares the following about the new album:

“After eleven months of total focus, dedication and professional team work, Darkness has been reborn. Some people have expressed their concern about the future of the band since the departure of some members of the clan. Let me assure you that things happen for a reason. The black flame burns brighter than ever before. With the mixture of our different musical preferences and the personalities involved, I will dare to say we have created a BEAST, the most detailed work to date out of our 17 years of existence. I know it’s too much of a cliché to brag when you have a done a new album, but to put it short and simple, it’s a fist in the face to all the doubters out there. Forward – Onward – March… ENTER THE SUPREME UNKNOWN.”

For the second time in the band’s career (i.e. 1996’s Stormblåst), a one-word album title breaks the tradition of a three-word album title for a new studio release dating back to DIMMU BORGIR’s 1994’s debut, For All Tid.

Guitarist/songwriter Silenoz has this to say on the topic:

“We knew there would be some big changes with this album in more than one way and since we’ve had the three word title tradition for many years now, we thought it’d make a lot of sense for us to move on from that. It has served its purpose. We are a band that’s all about change and moving forward. An album title consisting of one word goes hand-in-hand with the new material – it describes both the musical and lyrical content in a more imaginary way, not to mention the unity and the everlasting flame which is DIMMU BORGIR. Expect the unexpected!”

When asked about the central figure in the artwork and who/what he’s supposed to represent, artist Joachim Luetke responds:

“I think that’s obvious. Since the whole ‘setting’ is located in an icy, bleak, winter-y, post-industrial era, we’re pretty close to H.P. Lovecraft’s nameless elder gods. They’re represented by the mask’s tentacles. In short: the mask/face personifies dominion of powers far beyond mankind. The nameless gods witnessed the birth of our universe and they’ll watch it implode. To them, the age of mankind is but a blink of an eye.”

Abrahadabra will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th.

The third of four portions of the new artwork for the as-yet-untitled DIMMU BORGIR album has been uploaded to the band’s MySpace page.

When asked if there’s a connection between the image on the new album and the character from Death Cult Armageddon, German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) – who studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria – responds: “The [older] character’s called The Wanderer. Now, in retrospective, I feel that he’s always been the prophet, the herald of an age to come. Now he’s roaming the world after mankind’s demise. He’s the last of his kind. Neither human nor god – the perfect link to the age of the elder gods.”

The second of four portions of the new artwork for the as-yet-untitled DIMMU BORGIR album has been uploaded to the band’s MySpace page.

When asked if fans should look for something hidden in the artwork that may not be obvious at first glance, German artist / painter / graphic designer Joachim Luetke (Arch Enemy, Kreator, Sopor Aeternus) responds: “It’s not like looking at a picture puzzle, but if you listen to the music while looking at the imagery, an additional dimension will unfold before your eyes, that’s for sure. Learning about the real meaning of the album title is also a useful key to it.”

In early June, DIMMU BORGIR proudly announced their collaboration with Norwegian composer and Berklee College of Music summa cum laude alumnus Gaute Storaas in addition to the 51 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and the 38-member Schola Cantorum Choir for their new release. To date, over 101 musicians have contributed to the making of the new album.

Composer Gaute Storaas has said of DIMMU BORGIR: “There have been several attempts of dressing up rock bands in suits, bow ties, and symphonic splendor – to various degrees of success. My role in this is sometimes just to transcribe their themes, sometimes to take their ideas, tear them apart and build them back up in ways that are true to the band’s intentions.”

DIMMU BORGIR’s ninth studio album will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th.

When asked what he feels his approach does for DIMMU BORGIR, Luetke responds: “My artwork visualizes their music, adds another (optical) dimension to it. I don’t know exactly how this works. Cannot tell what kind of interior mechanism gets triggered by their music, but it’s clearly an utmost powerful one. Analyzing this means destroying it. As for our repeated collaborations, well, that’s probably because we share the similar philosophy at eye level.”

In early June, DIMMU BORGIR proudly announced their collaboration with Norwegian composer and Berklee College of Music summa cum laude alumnus Gaute Storaas in addition to the 51 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and the 38-member Schola Cantorum Choir for their new release. To date, over 101 musicians have contributed to the making of the new album.

Composer Gaute Storaas has said of DIMMU BORGIR: “Their music is epic, thematic and symphonic already from the creation; they are clearly having an orchestral approach to composing.”

DIMMU BORGIR’s ninth studio album will be released in Germany on September 24th, in the rest of Europe on September 27th, and in North America on October 12th.

This fall the Blackest of the Black tour is bringing an eclectic mixture of metal to a town near you. Boasting a lineup that features the often Goth-Rock sounds of Moonspell, the melodic black/thrash attack of Skeletonwitch, a career spanning setlist from festival organizer Danzig, and of course… the melodic black metal machine that is Norway’s Dimmu Borgir. Having already ventured Stateside twice before in support of "In Sorte Diaboli" the band is back for a third trek, this time on behalf of a 3 disc DVD set entitled "The Invaluable Darkness" Special thanks to Loana dP Valencia at Nuclear Blast for arranging an interview with Dimmu Borgir guitarist and co-founder Silenoz.

All pics and words by HannTu

(except where noted)

For an introduction to what Bloodstock Open Air is all about, check out my preview of it here. Suffice it to say that BOA is the only proper UK outdoor metal festival that is devoted to true metal of all genres. This would be the first time I was making the trip up to the Midlands to cover this amazing festival.

Reaching there late Thursday night, we set up camp and went off to explore. BOA has one of the most random things I’d expect at a metal festival: a shisha tent! Armed with a 1.5 litre bottle of JD and two bongs of shisha, we spent the night there meeting weird and crazy people (Frida from Sweden, if you’re reading this, get in touch!). After a disgusting fry-up at the All-Day Breakfast bar, I went off to bed to catch some shut-eye before Friday’s bands. Good start to BOA!

"No Pain No Gain" as Scorpions used to sing, but the last weekend of June in the central park of Helsinki was nothing but pure pain from the beginning to the end in a good way. The Tuska Open Air metal festival has been taken place ten years in a row. The first festival took place at the Tavastia club back in 1998. As the years passed by, the festival has grown bigger and carved out its prestigious and now legendary reputation all around the world.

Traditional metal had a minor role on the roster of Tuska 2008. Extreme metal, in different forms, attracted and had drawn many extreme metal hearts. As well, metalcore bands KillSwitch Engage landed at Tuska for the first time with a massive impact. The younger audience appeared to be delighted about that. Power metal had the strongest presence as it had a dominating role last year. But booking Slayer, Carcass, and Morbid Angel were extreme brilliant achievements.

Even though the festival was sold out several months ago, the most surprising thing from the Tuska organization was to let people of the age of 70+ go in for free! All in all a few hundred metal grandpa and grandma’s were witnessed headbanging for several bands!!!

As usual, the whole three piece Finnish Metal-Rules.Com squad attended Tuska again to sense a reek of putrefaction, feel raining blood and obtain the pleasure to kill. Enjoy!!

Love them or hate them Dimmu Borgir is quite the success story. From their early days as a fledging Black Metal act to the orchestrated tones of DEATH CULT ARMAGEDDON, there’s no denying their place at the top of the funeral pyre. The new album IN SORTE DIABOLI continues Dimmu Borgir’s march forward – an ascension that is sure to continue unabated. Guitarist and founding member Silenoz and I had a bit of chat recently and here a few of the things we covered.